Learning Resources for Students

Online Resources

• The Successful Writing at Uni website lists resources to help you write better assignments and theses.

• The Getting Your Message Across in Science site provides guidelines and examples of how to give a successful oral presentation and how to make a poster. Authentic footage of student presentations given in the School of Biological Sciences is used to illustrate the skills of presenting. In addition, activities in evaluating both oral presentations and posters are included.

• The Write Site provides online support to help you develop your academic and professional writing skills. There are modules on grammar, using sources and structuring assignments.

• The WRiSE (Writing a Report in Science and Engineering) site is an online learning environment designed to help you develop and improve your report writing skills in science and engineering.

• The iWrite site contains interactive tutorials to help engineering students to improve their assignment writing across the undergraduate years. It is especially useful for students writing their 3rd or 4th year thesis or project report.

• Help Yourself provides quick answers to the most common questions and problems for students, from first year undergraduates to PhD students. It also includes links to follow for more detailed information.

• The Clearer Writing site is an on-line interactive course to improve the clarity of your writing, with a particular focus on well-structured and coherent paragraphs.

Introduction to Reading in Biology

• This site is designed to assist you to develop the general and critical reading skills you need to help you with report writing.
  http://bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au/learning/resources/biology_reading/

Independent Learning Resources

Basic English Grammar Modules

• Unit 1A - Grammatical Units
• Uni 1B - The Noun Group
• Unit 2A - The Verbal Group Finites and Non-finites
• Unit 2B - The Verbal Group and Tenses
• Unit 3A - Logical Relationships Between Clauses
• Unit 3B - Interdependency Relationships Between Clauses
• Unit 4 - Punctuation

Cohesive Writing

• Unit 1 - Paragraph Structure
• Unit 2 - Linking Themes Within a Paragraph
• Unit 3 - Cohesion in Word Choice
• Unit 4 - Cohesion Through Reference

Writing in an Academic Style

• Unit 1 - Sounding Impersonal
• Unit 2 - Sounding Formal
• Unit 3 - Writing Clearly: Making Your Argumentation Clear Within Paragraphs

Essay Writing

• Unit 1A - How to be Analytical: What is Analysis?
• Unit 1B - How to be Analytical: Setting up a Taxonomy
• Unit 2A - How to Structure an Essay: Developing an Essay Structure
• Unit 2B - How to Structure an Essay: Writing Introductions and Conclusions
• Unit 3A - How to Use Evidence: Deveoping an Argument Out of Evidence
• Unit 3B - How to Use Evidence: Supporting Your Argument With the Evidence
• Unit 3C - How to Use Evidence: Avoiding Plagiarism
• Unit 4A - Developing an Argument: Being Persuasive
• Unit 4B - Developing an Argument: Being Critical
• Guidelines for Referencing

Strategies for Successful Students

• Module 1: Academic Reading Strategies
• Module 2: Writing in an Academic Style
• Module 3:Clearer Writing
• Module 4: Planning and Writing an Essay
• Module 5: Analytical Writing
• Module 6: Writing an Argument
• Module 7: Structuring an Argument
• Module 8: Language Resources for Argument Writing
• Module 9: Using Evidence in Essays
• Module 10: Managing Your Time

Study Skills

• Understanding Yourself
• Being a More Effective Learner
• Using Planners and Plans

English Speech Practice

• English Speech Practice (booklet to use with lessons below)
  A Pronunciation Course for Advanced Learners of English
  Based on authentic Australian English dialogues

PART 1: THE MACRO LEVEL
MP3 FILES

• Lesson 1: Stress and Rhythm (pages 1-5)
• Lesson 2: Weak Forms (pages 6-8)
• Lesson 3: Contractions (pages 9-11)
• Lesson 4: Link Up (pages 12-18)
• Lesson 5: Intonation (pages 19-26)
• Lesson 6: Practice of all Features (pages 27-32)

PART 2: THE MICRO LEVEL
MP3 FILES

• Lesson 7: Consonant Sounds: Fricatives (pages 34-37)
• Lesson 8: Consonant Sounds: l, r and n (pages 38-41)
• Lesson 9: Long versus Short Vowel Sounds (42-46)
• Lesson 10: "or" and "er" (pages 47-51)
• Lesson 11: The "ugh" Sound (pages 52-54)

Orientation Lecture Notes

These notes are for first year undergraduate students.

• Successful learning: strategies for first years
• Successful learning: strategies for first years (PowerPoint presentation)
• Successful Essay Writing in Your First Year
• Developing Critical Thinking Skills
• Developing Critical Thinking Skills - PowerPoint presentation from lecture
• Collaborative Learning
• Collaborative Learning - PowerPoint presentation from lecture
• Successful Report Writing at University
• Report Writing in the Social Sciences - PowerPoint presentation from lecture
• Lectures and How to Use Them
• Plagiarism and How to Avoid It - Lecture Notes
• Plagiarism and How to Avoid It - PowerPoint presentation from lecture
• Oral Presentations - PowerPoint presentation from lecture
• What is this thing called university?
• So many books, so little time... A guide to reading at university
• Breaking Bad Grammar Habits - Lecture Notes
• Breaking Bad Grammar Habits - PowerPoint presentation from lecture

Essay Writing

• Guidelines for Referencing
• Analysing an Essay Question
• Analytical Writing
• Developing and Supporting an Argument
• Planning and Structuring an Essay

Help with Report Writing in the Sciences

• How to Write a Laboratory Report
• Report writing in psychology
  http://www.psych.usyd.edu.au/current_students/writing_guides/index.shtml
• Writing a report in science and engineering (WRISE)
  http://learningcentre.usyd.edu.au/wrise/

Writing a Thesis Proposal

• Writing a Thesis Proposal

This document provides models and guidelines for writing a thesis proposal with particular emphasis on the introductory stage and the expression of aims, research questions or hypotheses.

FAQs on Theses Containing Publications

• FAQs on Theses Containing Publications

This website is based on questions and concerns raised in a number of recent workshops on theses containing publications (TCPs).

Links to Other Sites

Annotated links to Australian or overseas websites which not only inform, but try to instruct or teach academic writing skills. These sites can help you develop different aspects of the academic writing skills you need as a University of Sydney student.